Bobbin transferrer arm for looms



Feb. 11, 1964 R. P. YORK ETAL 3,120,860

BOBBIN TRANSFERRER ARM FOR LOOMS Filed Jan. 23, 1963 INVENTOR.

RAYMOND YORK 'lLDEN M. CAR ICHAEL ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,120,869 BGBBlN 'i'RANhFEFJtER FGR LUGMS Raymond F. Yer-.1 and Tiltlen M. Caumichael, High Point, l' l.., assignors to Itlorpul Research Eerporation, Greensboro, N51.

Filed Ian. 23, 195.3, Ser. No. 253,4:33 6 (llaims. (El. 139-244 This invention is concerned with bobbin transfer mecha nism for looms and particularly with an improvement in what is sometimes called the loom hammer or transferrer arm.

In the course of operating looms of the type which replenish the filling thread by transferring full bobbins from a reserve magazine, there will inevitably accumulate in a large weave room large quantities of partly filled bobbins. Some of these partly filled bobbins will be found in the loom reserve bobbin magazines where they are customarily placed after filling breaks. Partly filled bobbins are also sometimes found intermixed with the empty bobbins in the empty bobbin bins due to false transfers having been made. The loom transfer mechanism should therefore be able to transfer partly filled bobbins from the magazine into the shuttle as well as transfer full bobbins in order to avoid the waste in material, winding costs and handling that otherwise results.

An examination of the transferrer arm construction employed in most looms reveals the common characteristic of having two separated surfaces which bear on the bobbin being transferred into the shuttle. One of these surfaces is adapted to engage the rings conventionally found on the butt of the bobbin and the other second surface is adapted to engage an intermediate portion of the bobbin. Since the mentioned engaging surfaces are relatively fixed, they must accommodate to whatever size bobbins are up for transfer. While normally full bobbins generally make a satisfactory transfer, partly filled bobbins, when presented for transfer, are apt to be lodged in the shuttle in a tilted position due to being pivoted around the mentioned second engaging surface. While not as frequent an occurrence as with partly filled bobbins, normally full bobbins will also sometimes get into the shuttle into a tilted position apparently because the butt end of the bobbin is driven initially at a faster rate than is the middle of the bobbin. Consequently, much damage to looms and fabrics has been experienced with the two surface or two foot type of loom transferrer arm or hammer now in widespread use. While the cause of the problem has been identified no acceptable form of alternate arm has yet appeared on the market.

To solve the mentioned problem it has previously been proposed in the prior art to attach a rigid member to the conventional transferrer arm and to secure a felt pad to this member which provides a compressible, soft, relatively fixed, third engaging surface or foot adapted to engaging the bobbin at a third point and one more near the tip than has been previously engaged. While such a modifled arm construction appears to be a step in the right direction it has not been adopted in the textile industry so far as applicants are aware. A major reason for this is bel'eved to reside in the fact that the third foot proposed in the prior art is in effect a fixed engaging surface relative to the other surfaces on the arm and must be adjusted to particular ranges of sizes of bobbins whereas applicants have discovered that a third engaging surface which has the ability to automatically change its vertical position relative to the arm is a substantially better solution to the problem since it automatically accommodates to great variation in range of sizes.

An object of the invention therefore is to provide a transferrer arm which substantially eliminates the transfer of bobbins in a tilted position irrespective of the bobbins appearing in a substantially wide range of sizes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a transferrer arm which is particularly suited to transferring partly filled as well as fully filled bobbins in succession or intermixed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a transferrer arm which is particularly suited to substantial variation in the degree to which such bobbins are filled.

Another object of the invention is to provide a transferrer arm having a bobbin butt engaging surface, a second bobbin engaging surface between the butt and tip and a third engaging surface disposed to engage the bobbin near the tip, the third surface being adapted to change vertical position relative to the other two surfaces.

These and other objects will appear from the description and drawings in which vc rious embodiments of the invention are described and set forth.

FlGURE l is an elevation view partially in section of a loom equipped with a preferred embodiment of the transferrer arm invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged elevation of the preferred embodiment of the invention taken from FIGURE 1 in the direction of the arrow 2 in FIGURE 1, the dotted lines indicating an alternate operating position.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged plan view of the preferred embodiment looking in the direction of arrow 3, FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section on line 44 of FIG- URE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section on line 55 of FIG- URE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a vertical section on line 66 of FlG- URE 4.

FIGURE 7 is an elevation illustrating an alternate form of constructing the third foot arm of the invention.

FIGURE 8 is a vertical section illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 9 is a side elevation of the embodiment of FiGURE 8 taken in the direction of the arrow 9 in FIG- URE 8.

FIGURE 10 is an elevation illustrating a. further em bodiment of the invention.

Prior to proceeding to an explanation of the drawings and invention in detail it may be said that the essence of the invention resides in adding a movable auxiliary bobbin engaging foot to the conventional transferrer arm. Such foot is spring urged to a normal position relative to the other bobbin engaging feet. In a preferred form as set forth in FIGURES 1 through 7, the auxiliary foot takes the form of a pivoted and spring loaded lever capable of remaining relatively fixed or of swinging in the plane of the arm and outwardly and upwardly from the arm as required to accommodate to different bobbins. In another embodiment set forth in FIGURES 8 and 9 the invention takes the form of an auxiliary spring loaded foot capable of moving vertically in the plane of the arm. In a further embodiment dealt with in FIGURE 10 the inventions auxiliary foot takes the form of a simple cantilevered leaf spring capable of engaging the bobbin near its tip and of vertical travel at its free end in the plane of the arm.

As the description proceeds it will be seen that in each embodiment of the invention described the auxiliary foot rather than being fixed as in the case of prior art auxiliary feet has, in each embodiment, a definite ability to automatically change its vertical position with respect to the other feet on the arm whenever, as the arm moves down during a transfer motion, the conventional feet are in normal engagement. in an exhaustive test of the invention especially as embodied in the mentioned preferret 9 embodiment, it has been found that the extent to which the bobbin being transferred into the shuttle is filled has no bearing whatever on the success of the transfer. That is, the arm of the invention has been proven capable of transferring partly filled bobbins in succession, fully filled bobbins in succession and mixtures of partly filled and fully filled bobbins. Once adjusted and fixed to the conventional arm, the auxiliary foot has received many and varied bobbin sizes. Furthermore, the arm of the invention has been proven capable of transferring bobbins of fancy filling yarns having knobs, kinks and the like which heretofore have been difiicult to transfer.

Referring now to FEGURES 1 through 6, the bobbin magazine includes front rack 1b and back rack 11 supported from the loom frame 12. The stored bobbins move towards the lay 13 carrying the shuttle box 14. Shuttle box 14 receives the shuttle 15 and a bobbin fo Transfer is effected by the bunter 17 engaging the transfer latch mechanism, not shown, during a transfer beat up of the lay which causes a downward movement of the transferrer arm 13 seen in FIGURE 1.

According to conventional practice, the butt 19 of the bobbin is engaged by a first foot 20 and an intermediate portion of the bobbin is engaged by a second foot 21, both foot 2t) and foot 21 being part of an integral structure extending from arm 18 which further includes horizontal web members 22 and 23. The structure thus far described is conventional and it will be understood that the transfer problem primarily arises from the fact that partly filled bobbins tend to pivot around foot 21 as they are being forced towards the shuttle 15 and are frequently left in the shuttle :15 in a tilted position rather than being left in a substantially horizontal position in line with the shuttle axis.

The problem is dealt with in the present invention in a preferred embodiment shown in FIGURES 2 through 6 in which 25 represents an angle plate member secured to foot 21 by two screws 26, 27. An integral flange portion 28 receives and supports a pin 29 on which is pivotally mounted a lever structure that includes as integral parts a hub 5d, a horizontal arm 31, a vertical arm 32. and a bracing diagonal arm 3.3. Hub 3d mounts on pin 29 and is positioned and secured by means of two washers 34, 35 and a cotter key 36. Of particular importance to the invention is the presence of a tension spring 37 which is secured at one end to foot 21 by means of an adjustable screw 38 and at the other end to the diagonal bracing arm 33 by means of a pin 39, the tension of spring 37 being determined by the position of screw 33. it will also be noticed that the pin 29 may be moved to a lower hole 4t) and thereby change the vertical position of the whole lever structure relative to foot 20 and foot 21 in order to accommodate for substantially different size bobbins.

What amounts to the auxiliary or third foot of this invention is found in the rectangular block that is secured to vertical arm 32 by means of a pair of screws 45, 47. Block 45 in a preferred form is made of Plexiglas material and is curved as at 48 at the surface which engages the bobbin. Such material is a relatively hard, incompressible, non-resilient material with respect to the yarn and bobbin wood surfaces engaged by the block but is easily machined to present the curvature desired as well as a smooth engaging surface.

Considering now the operation of the invention as represented in the embodiment covered by FIGURES 1 through 6, it will be appreciated that a bobbin normally filled appears as in the drawings whereas a partly filled bobbin might be, relative to the normally filled bobbin, as represented by the dashed lines 49, 49 and a somewhat large size bobbin might be as represented by the dashed lines 50, 50. In any case substantial variation in bobbin size must be expected as part of normal loom transfer operations. From the nature of the embodiment being referred to it can be seen that in the event the normal bobbin tends to tilt around foot 21, foot 45 of the arm of the invention will tend to restrain the upward movement of the tip end of the bobbin until such time as foot 24 and foot 21 are both in firm engagement with the bobbin. Such a situation happens for example even with normally filled bobbins when the bobbin butt travel speed at least temporarily exceeds the speed of the transferrer arm. However, once the foot 2% and foot 21 are both in firm engagement with the bobbin of normal size, the s1 ring 37 will allow the lever structure to pivot on hub 3th and the normal action of foot 26? and foot 21 will continue until the transfer operation has been completed.

A more frequent situation is the case where a partly filled bobbin as indicated by 4-9, 49 is up for transfer. Since foot 21 is normally at a higher elevation than foot 26 the possibility of the bobbin being tilted can be readily appreciated. This situation is readily met by the fact that block 45 will prevent tilting and will present a firm, incompressible, engaging surface out near the tip end of the bobbin which surface will remain in firm contact, in this instance, with the bobbin until transfer is completed. That is, it will be noticed that block 45 and foot 20 are roughly at the same engaging level and unless foot 21 engages, foot 26 and block 45 will execute the transfer operation.

The somewhat overfilled bobbin as at 5%, 543 represents a further situation and in this case since foot 21 is in position to engage, the block t5 will automatically tilt to the dotted line position 4-5 sufficient to allow foot 21 to play its normal role. Of course, it is possible even in this case to encounter a tilt situation around foot 21 by reason of an abnormal hammer blow for example which might tend to cause the butt end to travel too fast and in such case block 45 will engage the bobbin tip until foot 21 makes its normal engagement.

While the embodiment just described is known to be preferred, the concept of having a movable, spring loaded, third foot with a relatively hard, incompressible engaging surface may be carried out in other ways. For example in FIGURE 7, there is illustrated an alternative form of lever structure in which the curved end 52 may be formed as an integral part of the lever structure to replace the block 45. By extending vertical arm 32 and making its end such as end 52 of smooth polished steel essentially the same results may be achieved. In the embodiment of FIGURE 7, the overall height of such a structure would of course be made to be essentially the same as the combined height of the block 5 and vertical arm 32 and while not shown, a spring such as spring 37 would be employed.

An operable but somewhat less preferred embodiment of the invention is depicted in FIGURES 8 and 9 where the block 53 is of a hard, incompressible material equivalent to the block 45 except that it is mounted for linear vertical travel under tension of a compression spring 54. Spring 54 resides in a circular cavity formed in the top of block 53 and is held in such cavity by means of a bracket 55. By reason of the oversized slotted holes 56, 57 through which pass screws 58, 59, block 53 is allowed to rise and fall with respect to the mounting bracket 6b and will adjust itself to the various sizes of bobbins and to the engaging condition at the moment of the foot 2t? and foot 21.

Another operable but less preferred embodiment of the invention is found in the employment of a curved cantilevered leaf spring attached directly to the foot 21 as illustrated in FEGURE 10. In this embodiment the desired auxiliary third foot is represented by the bottom surface of the outer end 66 of the leaf spring 65. By adjusting the curvature of spring 65, the mentioned surface at as can be adjusted to be substantially equivalent in location to the surface 33 of block 45. As indicated by the dotted lines 65 in FIGURE 10, the engaging surface of such a cantilevered leaf spring can adjust its vcr tical position relative to foot 20 and foot 21 dependent on the size of the bobbin being transferred and whether or not the bobbin has tended to tilt during transfer.

From the description, it will be seen that unlike the prior art approach of employing a relatively immovable third foot with respect to the first and second foot, of having the third foot secured to the second foot and of having a contact surface on the third foot of felt or the like, this invention takes the approach of incorporating a third foot engaging surface of substantially hard, incompressible material and of not securing the third foot to the second but mounting it on the second foot so it can rise and fall under spring tension dependent on the size of bobbin being transferred and on whether the bobbin has tended to tilt during transfer. In a normal transfer normally engaged in by the conventional bobbin butt foot and intermediate foot, the arm of the invention automatically adapts itself to play no part in the transfer by swinging or moving upwardly away from the bobbin. On the other hand where a normally filled bobbin tends to tilt or where partly filled bobbins are being fed consecutively or intermixed with fully filled bobbins the arm of the invention comes into and out of action as needed to insure a successful transfer irrespective of the bobbin size and the initial position assumed by the bobbin.

Having thus described the invention, it is apparent that those skilled in the art may employ the invention in various forms within the spirit and scope of What is now claimed.

We claim:

1. In a transferrer arm for engaging a reserve filling thread bobbin having a butt and tip, the arm being of the type having a first foot for engaging the butt and a second foot for engaging the thread between the butt and tip, a third foot having a bottom surface for engaging the bobbin near the tip mounted on the arm in a manner allowing the surface to change position in a substantially vertical direction relative to the second foot during the transfer motion to adjust to bobbins having diiferent amounts of thread and to mispositioned bobbins, said third foot having a normal position relative to the first and second foot, and spring means arranged to constantly urge the third foot engaging surface towards the normal position.

2. In a transferrer arm as claimed in claim 1 in which the third foot engaging surface is substantially hard and incompressible.

3. In a transferrer arm as claimed in claim 1 in which the third foot comprises a leaf spring cantilevered olf the end of the second foot and inherently providing the spring means.

4. in a transferrer arm as claimed in claim 1 in which the third foot manner of being mounted gives a pivotal type action to the third foot during the transfer motion.

5. In a transferrer arm as claimed in claim 1 in which the third foot manner of being mounted gives a vertical sliding action to the third foot during the transfer motion.

6. In a transferrer arm for engaging a reserve filling thread bobbin having a butt and tip, the arm being of the type having a first foot for engaging the butt and a second foot for engaging the thread between the butt and tip, a third foot in the form of a lever pivotedly mounted on the second foot and having a bottom surface for engaging the bobbin near the tip, the surface thereby being allowed substantial change of position in a substantially vertical direction relative to the second foot during the trans-fer motion to adjust to bobbins having different amounts of thread and to mispositioned bobbins, said third foot having a normal position relative to the first and second foot, and tension spring means secured between the lever and the second foot tending to urge the third foot engaging surface towards the normal position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,661,328 Draper Mar. 6, 1928 2,488,158 Beatrice Nov. 15, 1949 2,818,886 Addis Jan. 7, 8 FOREIGN PATENTS 270,733 Italy June 28, 1928 

1. IN A TRANSFERRER ARM FOR ENGAGING A RESERVE FILLING THREAD BOBBIN HAVING A BUTT AND TIP, THE ARM BEING OF THE TYPE HAVING A FIRST FOOT FOR ENGAGING THE BUTT AND A SECOND FOOT FOR ENGAGING THE THREAD BETWEEN THE BUTT AND TIP, A THIRD FOOT HAVING A BOTTOM SURFACE FOR ENGAGING THE BOBBIN NEAR THE TIP MOUNTED ON THE ARM IN A MANNER ALLOWING THE SURFACE TO CHANGE POSITION IN A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL DIRECTION RELATIVE TO THE SECOND FOOT DURING THE TRANSFER MOTION TO ADJUST TO BOBBINS HAVING DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF THREAD AND TO MISPOSITIONED BOBBINS, SAID THIRD FOOT HAVING A NORMAL POSITION RELATIVE TO THE FIRST AND SECOND FOOT, AND SPRING MEANS ARRANGED TO CONSTANTLY URGE THE THIRD FOOT ENGAGING SURFACE TOWARDS THE NORMAL POSITION. 